Devon is braced for severe wind chill that will make temperatures feel well below freezing as biting easterly winds from Siberia grip the country. The mercury is set to nose-dive down to -10C below the seasonal average over the coming days, with bone-chilling conditions to continue into the beginning of March.

Values on Saturday could plummet to -4C in parts of South West England, while temperatures on Sunday will hover around freezing across much of the country.

It will also be an icy start on Monday for the early rush-hour, with temperatures hitting as low as -7C in parts of Scotland.

But it will feel much cooler than this in the brisk easterly airflow with wind chill values sinking as low as -10C in the Scottish Highlands.

Elsewhere, wind chill figures are predicted to fall to -8C in parts of southwest England and Wales and between -2 to -7C across the rest of the nation.

Eleanor Bell, principal meteorologist at The Weather Channel, said it will begin to feel much colder over the next several days with temperatures tumbling as the 'Beast from the East' takes charge.

She said: "Temperatures are expected to fall well below normal widely across Europe through this week and continue into the beginning of March.

The wind chill will start to be felt on Friday

Top temperatures for Saturday, February 23

"High pressure centred over Scandinavia and northeast Europe will dominate the weather pattern, dragging in bitterly cold air from the east.

"It will feel much colder with a wind chill of -1 to -8C for Britain, -8 to -14C for central Europe but -15 to locally -30C for north-east and eastern Europe."